User:Phillyguy

I love The City of Brotherly Love! That being said, I must admit that I was a suburbanite for most of my younger days. This includes the first 15 years of my life, when I was raised in a suburban-like neighborhood in Northeast Philadelphia. In 1980, my family moved out of the city entirely, to Bucks County. And so, as a suburban teenager and young adult, I was scared of Philadelphia and all it offered. For many years I commuted into town to attend college and then to go to work, but it was as if I was a reluctant tourist, shielding myself from the essence of the city inside my car—and heaven forbid that I would take public transportation! Now, looking back, I see that I never realized how boring the suburbs were until I moved into Center City.

It was in 1998 when I finally became a genuine city boy! I parked my car, started taking public transportation, and even bought a bicycle! Half the fun really is getting there, when traversing a vibrant urban landscape to do so. I soon joined several organizations that promoted Philadelphia and its history and architecture. I started taking the tours these groups sponsored, or simply found myself walking or biking around town to see what was happening. While exploring the city in this way, I kept running into others who had similarly discovered (or rediscovered) The City of Brotherly Love. I had joined the ranks of a growing number of Philly boosters: individuals enamored and enthralled by William Penn's Greene Country Towne. I had no idea there were so many people who so relished living in or near what is or what was once The Athens of America, The Birthplace of the Nation, The Cradle of Liberty, The City of Homes, The City of Neighborhoods, The Workshop of the World, and most recently, The Place That Loves You Back.

So here I am, hoping to share a bit of what I've learned so far about some of the lesser-known interesting things about Philadelphia... I've also authored two books on the city: Philadelphia's Lost Waterfront (2011) and Northern Liberties: The Story of a Philadelphia River Ward (2012). Prior to creating a Wiki account, I pretty much created or authored the following pages:
 * Norris Locomotive Works
 * The Bellevue Stratford Hotel
 * Delair Bridge
 * Philadelphia Atoms
 * The Woodlands Cemetery